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tv   CBS Morning News  CBS  March 22, 2011 4:00am-4:30am PDT

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mission questions. as allied warplanes continue striking libya, some lawmakers question the president's plan. fallout fears. the pentagon considers the mandatory evacuation of all u.s. military personnel threatened by radiation in japan as the first american victim of the tragedy is found. and medical marvel. a texas man gets the first full facial transplant in the u.s. this is the "cbs morning news" facial transplant in the u.s. this is the "cbs morning news" for tuesday, march 22nd, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. this morning allied forces are working to expand the no fly zone over libya. overnight tripoli was targeted for the third day in a row and
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there is growing discord among the allies and here in this country over the u.s. role. susan mcginnis is in washington with more. >> reporter: several days of attacks on libya are having their intended effect according to u.s. officials, even so, more in congress are questioning the president's decisions. anti-aircraft fire erupted in tripoli overnight as moammar gadhafi's forces battled a fresh round of air strikes. u.s. officials say days of attacks on the regime's ground troops are working and coalition forces are ready to expand the u.n.'s no fly zone to protect the libyan people. >> the extension of the no fly zone will enable us to have a greater freedom of movement and the other thing it provides is a greater ability for humanitarian assistance. >> reporter: american troops have fired more than 100 cruise missiles including one that hit gadhafi's compound.
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but international forces led most of monday's missions and president obama says soon the u.s. will hand over full control. >> we anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days and not a matter of weeks. >> reporter: still, more and more lawmakers are criticizing the president for failing to lay out a clear plan. they question how far and how long he's willing to go to stop gadhafi. >> we don't want it to be long, we don't want it to be expanded. we're fighting two wars already. >> reporter: some support the military action, but oppose the president's handling of it. >> i do think the president showed poor leadership. you cannot have a situation like this in such a major part of the world and have the president of the united states sit back and with european nations be out there. >> reporter: president obama defended his strategy in a letter to congress monday saying preventing a humanitarian disaster in libya would support america's national interests. and one republican senator wants
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a plan for what happens after gadhafi, who will leave the country and also who will pay for all of this effort. >> all right, susan mcginnis joining us live. thank you, susan. this morning the libyan government is denying reports that one of gadhafi's sons was killed during an attack on tripoli. 27-year-old khamis was the libyan leader's sixth son. various unconfirmed reports say he was killed saturday night when a libyan pilot crashed his jet into the gadhafi compound. the libyan government calls the report a nonsensical piece of news. those four "new york times" journalists who were held captive are telling their story. the four were released yesterday and moved to tunisia. they were captured by libyan government troops last tuesday. the journalists say they were mistreated until they were taken to the capital. the photographer says she was punched in the face, sexually abused and told she was going to
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die. the stated goal of the allied operation in libya is to stop the threat of moammar gadhafi and what he poses to his people. but american officials say there's been no attempt to provide air cover for rebel operations. despite, they continue to hold ajdabiya hostage. mandy clark has the story. >> reporter: from the rebel-held capital to the front line of ajdabiya 100 miles away. we're jest seven miles away, but we can't go any further. down the road there are four pro gadhafi tanks and every time the vehicle goes over the rise, they fire at it. the city has been under siege for a week. it's moammar gadhafi's gateway to the rebel-held east. both sides have fought hard here with control of this city changing hands numerous times. rebels are vowing to push all
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the way to tripoli and bring down the government. we will take down that crazy gadhafi, he says. the latest reports we're hearing is that there is fierce fighting ongoing, the front line has been fluid moving several miles in a day. mandy clark, cbs news, benghazi. this morning hamid karzai said afghan forces will take charge of security in seven areas come july, that includes a key taliban stronghold in the south. the first phase of security transfer from nato forces to afghan soldiers and police. the goal is to have afghan forces protect the entire nation by the end of 2014. now to japan where cbs news has learned the pentagon is considering ordering the mandatory evacuation of all u.s. military personnel and their families from areas threatened by radiation. the wind has shifted blowing increased amounts south over tokyo toward two american bases. this threatens to dump as much
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radiation in the next 24 hours as in the previous ten days combined. meanwhile the aircraft carrier "uss george washington" left yesterday morning to prevent radioactive contamination. crews are back trying to restore power at the fukushima nuclear power plant. they've attached power cords to all six reactors, but it remains unclear if the cooling systems are operable. japanese officials estimate the earthquake and tsunami left over 21,000 people dead or missing. charlie d'agata reports. >> reporter: the debris stretches for miles. dutch teams with sniffer dogs are searching every inch for bodies that may be buried beneath. this tsunami survivor is searching for a few personal belongings. pieces of her life before the towering wall of water roared in and chewed up everything in its path.
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she says when the ground began shaking and didn't stop, she didn't wait for a tsunami warning. she raced for higher ground. if you were here when it struck, there would be no getting out of its path. that car has been thrown on to a factory roof, that's 30 to 40 feet above sea level. the damage is just one of the many concerns japan is facing. at the fukushima nuclear plant, the effort to restore electricity hit a setback when two reactors began spewing smoke yesterday. workers evacuated, temporarily halting some of the progress made over the weekend. >> the overall situation at the fukushima daiichi plant remains serious. >> reporter: the spiking levels have started to contaminate the food supply. the world health organization says japan needs to ban food sales from around the plant. charlie d'agata, cbs news, japan.
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the first known american victim in japan has been identified. taylor anderson's family says they were notified yesterday that her body was discovered about 240 miles north of tokyo where she was teaching english. she was last seen riding her bike away from the elementary school where she taught. the tsunami struck soon after that. her family says anderson loved japan. she was scheduled to return to the u.s. in august. taylor anderson was 24 years old. we'll be right back. l be right back. but you may not know it can also mean destruction. not just of your joints, but of the things you love to do. and the longer you live with the aching, swelling, and stiffness, the closer you may be to having your favorite things... taken away from you. but you can take action today. go to ra.com for your free joint profile so you can better talk to your rheumatologist about protecting your joints.
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it's providing a cleaner experience. the benefits for sensodyne iso-active whitening, it's going to provide protection against sensitivity. and it's going to help restore teeth to their natural whiteness. >> ( beeping, beeping stops ) >> announcer: free is better. do your simple return for free with the federal free edition at turbotax.com. turbotax. the most trusted brand of tax software. wildfires in colorado have forced some evacuations. one blaze west of denver near evergreen threatened at least 20 homes and another fire near golden prompted evacuations of 100 homes. high winds and low humidity are fanning those wildfires. officials are warning another 200 residents to be ready to leave their homes quickly. >> through the night we got up a couple times in the middle of the night and it was still going.
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>> we have worse conditions today than we had yesterday. yesterday was difficult. today is more so. >> officials say they believe someone started the fires, but aren't saying whether it was deliberate or an accident. melting snow in the midwest has residents preparing for flooding. the minnesota river overflowed its banks in henderson forcing one road to be closed. chunks of ice piled up under a bridge threatening to wash out the road and some residents came out to get a look. >> a lot of water moving very fast and it's carrying ice chunks with it. >> we've got a little bit of room here and we're hoping even with 3/4 inch of precipitation they're talking about that our elevations are high enough that we'll be okay here. >> and in fountain city, wisconsin, thousands of sand bags are ready to go in case the mississippi river starts to floods. jared loughner, the suspect in the tucson shooting rampage, will undergo a mental exam.. jared loughner, the suspect in the tucson shooting rampage, will undergo a mental exam. a federal judge ordered the
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valuation to be done at a specialized facility in missouri. he is charged with shooting gabrielle giffords and 18 others on january 8th. six of them died. on the cbs "moneywatch," home sales fall and airfares, they are on the rise again. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, asian markets are on the rebound this morning. tokyo's nikkei jumped over 4% while hong kong's hang seng shot up almost .75%. also sony announced it was suspending production at some plants in japan due to a shortage of parts. today wall street tries to keep the rally going. monday stocks surged. the dow shot up 178 points to close back above 12,000 while the nasdaq gained 48. chase customers can say good-bye to the debit card rewards program. the bank is now notifying
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customers they will no longer earn points after july 19th. chase closed the program to new customers last month. they blame a proposed new regulation that will sharply limit the fees banks collect whenever customers swipe their cards. banks including citi, wells fargo and bank of america say they have not made a decision yet on any of their own similar incentive programs. u.s. home prices are at a nine year low. the national association of realtors says home resales plunged nearly 10% last month. that pushed the medium home price down to about $156,000. that's the lowest in almost a decade. homes at risk of foreclosure accounted for 39% of all sales last month. and united and continental are raising airfares again. this time it's up to $10 per round trip. it's just the latest in a series of more than half a dozen hikes this year. carriers blame the rising price of fuel, analysts also predict fewer discount fares will be
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available this summer. and that summer vacation just keeps getting more and more expensive. >> it seems like we hear this story often. ashley morrison joining us live in new york. thank you. former minnesota governor tim pawlenty has made the first move to a 2012 run for the white house. >> today i'm announcing the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president of the united states. >> the republican made the announcement in a video posted to his facebook page on monday. he is the first major candidate to form an exploratory committee which allows him to begin fund-raising. he served two terms as minnesota's governor and was on the short list of possible running mates for 2008 gop presidential nominee john mccain. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports, the bodies were flying as the knicks take on the celtics. you are watching the "cbs morning news." ♪
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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, 51. miami, sunny, 79. chicago, thunderstorms there, 46. it's going to be windy and 82 in dallas. los angeles, a sunny 62. time for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture
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shows cloud cover from coast to coast. later today thunderstorms will pop up through the midwest. heavy snow expected in the northern plains and light showers on the west coast. but there will be plenty of sunshine in the southeast. in sports, it got very physical between the knicks and the celtics. a battle under the boards in the third quarter sends boston's ray allen to the floor with a nasty cut to the head. and in the fourth, the knicks carmelo anthony collides with rajon rondo. celtics win, though, the slugfest 96-86. a scare for san antonio as all-star tim duncan injured his left ankle. despite losing him for the game, they go on to win 111-96. and it looked like the indiana pacers were cruising to a win over new jersey, but the nets crawled back. with time running out, new jersey misses a three-pointer that would have tied the game. pacers slip by the nets 102-98. a nice reverse dunk in the first quarter by chicago's derrick rose. look at that. boom.
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he puts the bulls up by six over sacramento. then in the third he's on the slam side of an alley-oop. the bulls thrash the kings 132-92. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories and a historic transplant. a young father gets a new face. this is the "cbs morning news." s a new face. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins
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and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser from the new line of neutrogena® naturals. plus.. how hundreds of american families stuck in japan are getting help in the bay area. the jury is chosen.. now the barry bonds trial begins. the controversial first witness up to bat. imagine being stuck at home.. with no way in or out! the rush to free dozens of santa cruz families trapped by a rockslide. and.. flying frustration. the two major airlines hiking their prices. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,
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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. a potent storm is forming in the midwest while snow lingers in parts of new england. in the southeast, the warm and sunny weather continues and expect more light showers on the west coast. here's another look at this morning's top stories. allied warplanes are working to expand the no fly zone over libya to include the capital of tripoli. coalition military leaders say the air campaign has slowed down
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libyan forces but sporadic fighting does continue. and cbs news has learned the u.s. is considering the mandatory evacuation of all military personnel and their families from areas of japan threatened by radiation. doctors in boston made history last week. they performed the first full face transplant in the u.s. the surgery is bringing hope to a young father who was horribly disfigured in a work accident. sandra hughes reports. >> reporter: the nation's first full facial transplant will restore dallas wiens' face. ex-burned beyond recognition. >> i lost my left eye, all my teeth. what you see is actually bone. >> reporter: it took more than 30 doctors 15 hours to try to restore the young father's face. doctors transplanted a nose, lips, skin, muscles and nerves
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that will give wiens skin sensation. >> the tissues are molded on a new person and in this case the way the eyes will look will not resemble either what he used to be or the donor. >> reporter: the new federal health care law in the u.s. helped to pay for the surgery. he's only 25 and while uninsured, he's now able to be covered under his father's plan. the operation took place last week, but the exact day isn't being revealed to protect the privacy of the donor family. >> we offer our most sincere and heartfelt thanks to the family who gave dallas this most precious gift. you will forever remain in our hearts and prayers and we are grateful for your selflessness. >> reporter: wiens says he hasn't been depressed about his deformity, but he misses what most fathers can do. >> not being able to kiss my daughter is frustrating. >> reporter: while the world will see his new face soon, wiens never will. he was blinded in the accident and the surgery won't restore his sight. sandra hughes, cbs news. this morning on "the early show," the latest on the allied
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effort over libya. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." bet it i gt i'm bet it i gy nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." ,,,,,,,,
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since the earthquake and tsunami in japan, americans have watched the unfolding disaster in cities like sendai. probably no u.s. city was as touched by the devastation as much as dallas, texas. why? well, that's because sendai and dallas are sister cities. steve hartman has more. >> reporter: we came here to dallas about as far from japan as you can get to meet the berrys who are about as asian as apple pie and do a story about this typical texas family and its very atypical attachment to one japanese community. 50-year-old mark berry says when he saw that tsunami hit the town of sendai, it was like watching it roll through his own backyard. >> i see that wave coming through just tearing those
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houses down, that hurts me almost as if i was there. >> reporter: mark got to know the people of sendai because the two towns are international friendship cities. dallas kids go there on exchanges, sendai kids come here. mark is chairman of the committee and has made nine trips to sendai. >> pretty much sure this is all gone. >> reporter: he has toured the local shrines and visited local high schools. >> gone? >> gone. >> reporter: in the last week, he's been trying to track down friends in sendai with mixed results. for example, there were ten kids who came to dallas in the last exchange. six are accounted for and four are not. >> i kind of feel like in this case no news is bad news. that's what i'm feeling. >> reporter: his pain really shows the power of these sister city type relationships, how they make neighbors out of people who might otherwise say they couldn't care less.
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>> we didn't call them japanese, we called them japs. >> reporter: mark's 82-year-old father never knew a japanese person until mark started bringing his visitors around. >> the ones that i met, i learned to love and in just a very short period of time. i personally feel an obligation to help with the people of sendai over there. >> reporter: to that end, the dallas japan america society teamed up with their local cbs affiliate to do a phone-a-thon and other sister cities are doing the same, proving once again if you really want to be someone who values humanity, the best thing you can do is meet a lot of different humans. kind of an interesting footnote. the united states has more sister cities in japan than any other country. 188 in all. i'm steve hartman, cbs news. and coming up later on "the early show," the latest on the allied attacks in libya, including an interview with senator john mccain. plus, the amazing one legged wrestler who just won a national championship.
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and astronaut scott kelly on his five months in space and seeing his sister-in-law, congressman gabrielle giffords, for the first time since she was shot. that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com
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